Editors Note: This article contains speculation since companies have not officially released products prior to the launch of the new mid-size Bronco.
With the new Ford Bronco’s launch just mere months away after significant delays due to shortage of supplies on the market, more attention is being focused on the aftermarket accessories that will be available after those that put down their deposits on the latest Bronco are finally delivered.
What We Can Confirm
The sixth generation Bronco will have multiple options to make it bigger and run larger tires. The base Bronco comes standard with 30″ tall 255/70R16 tires. 31″ tall, 33″ tall and even 315/70R15 35″ equivalent tires will be available on other packages. Ford Performance will have their own suspension kit available for the new SUV. Multiple aftermarket companies are already at work getting things ready for their own product launchs.
What You Need with Your Lift
Lifted rigs with factory size tires look odd to most people, so you will want to fill up your factory wheel wells with larger tires and possibly aftermarket wheels to create the look you want and to make the new Bronco your own.
Also, the Gen 6 Bronco will come with 3.73, 4.27, 4.46 or 4.70 gear ratios depending on what model you get. When you go with larger tires, you will also want to consider going to a deeper gearset to put you back within the stock powerband. Do you have to go with a deeper gearset with big tires? The answer is “no”, but you will lose performance going from a Bronco with 30″ tires to 35″ tires or larger. Fortunately, Ford Performance will have deeper gear rations available. So far, we have found 4.88, 5.13 and 5.38 gearsets available for the Bronco that should be available late in the year.
Also, if Ford has designed this vehicle like most others on the market with an electrical speedometer system, your speedometer will be off once you change tire sizes. Changes in tire size can also effect the efficiency of your transmission and will have it hunting for gears at different speeds. We expect a hand held programmer to be available to help correct these issues.
Types of Lifts
There are two main types of lifts that are available on the market. First are leveling kits and the other is full built suspension systems.
Most vehicles leave the factory with the nose of the vehicle sitting lower than the rear. The benefit for this comes into play with towing and braking. However, if you’re not towing anything, most people think it looks better to have both the front and rear sitting at the same height. Leveling kits are usually spacers that sit on top of a vehicle’s front struts, coilovers, coils or leaf springs. These provide lift, but don’t offer additional travel. To get the full benefit of lifting a truck or SUV, look for systems that replace the factory coils, coilovers or struts with a longer replacement. Some also may include upper control arms to correct for suspension geometry changes. The Ford Bronco uses a set of Bilstein steel body coilover struts on the front end.
Full suspension systems raise both the front and rear of the vehicle. The Ford Bronco uses similar coil over struts on the front and back. The front end is an independent front suspension with a solid axle rear. Depending on the size of the lift you will be looking at, expect simple spacers from upper control arms for the front lift, up to complete replacement coilovers and re-designed knuckles and relocation brackets for the front. The rear will likely include spacers for the budget minded or longer coilovers for those looking for the best performance. We also expect to see extended length arms or adjustable arms to get the axle geometry corrected, along with possibly an adjustable track bar.
BDS Suspension 2021-2022 Bronco Lift Kit
We can confirm that BDS Suspension will have lift kits for the new Ford Bronco. BDS is the home of the No Fine Print Warranty. If you are the original purchaser of any BDS product and it breaks, BDS will give you a new part. Period.
BDS is also a division of Fox, the top coilover suspension company in the world. They are a popular choice among those racing and enthusiasts alike. Also, you’re covered if you want to retain your factory warranty. BDS offers the 560PLUS protection package with all their lifts for no extra cost. They include a Supplemental Drivetrain Limited Warranty while your vehicle is covered by the new vehicle express drivetrain limited warranty supplied by Ford up to five years or 60,000 miles. BDS systems are also FMVSS No.126 compliant to greatly reduce the risk of rollovers.
BDS will offer leveling kits with upper control arms to correct suspension angles. Being part of Fox also allows them to over full coilover replacement options to maximize the front end travel of your Bronco.
BDS will also have full suspension systems available. We expect the same 1/4″ thick CNC cut, formed and welded crossmember drop braces to be available for the Bronco as they have for other performance IFS trucks, along with corrected HD steering knuckles to beef those up, along with correcting geometry. Also, don’t be susprised to see full Fox aluminum body coilovers as an option to get rid of the steel body coil on struts.
Ford Performance New Bronco Lift Kit
The 2021 Bronco FPP Offroad Suspension Kit should be available sometime in the fall or summer of 2021. Based on the part number that Ford has released for the kit, we can make some basic assumptions on the system.
Other Ford Performance Offroad systems work by offering a full replacement Fox coilover to add additional performance in offroad environments and other harsh terrain, such as work sites. These coilovers are direct bolt on kits that will replace the Bilstein steel body shocks that come from the factory. The Fox aluminum body shocks will allow you to crack down the springs to increase ride height and adjust pre-load on the shocks.
The Fox shocks are tuned application specific by Ford engineers for the new Bronco. The shocks feature precision impact extruded aluminum bodies that increase cooling capacity and are rust resistant. The front coil-overs feature top quality racing coils selected to deliver the optimal spring rate and improve the Bronco’s ride regardless of the conditions you put it in. The pistons of the shocks are race developed, with a high flow race driven design. The Bronco specific upper front mounts include a composite bushing that isolates noise and vibration for a much more pleasant ride.
Fabtech Dirt Logic Bronco Lift System
Fabtech’s Bronco lift kit offers increased front suspension travel for enhanced offroad capabilities with clearance to run bigger tires. The stance of the vehicle will become more level front to rear for an aggressive look.
The factory Bronco upper control arms are replaced with Fabtech’s Uniball Upper Control Arms that provide additional wheel travel with an extra degree of caster compared to stock arms. The increased caster helps to balance steering effort with oversized tires.
The Fabtech upper control arms will be constructed from .120” wall 1.25” OD 4130 Chromoly steel tubing. Fabtech arms will add rigidity and strength to the Bronco suspension.
High quality 1″ FK Stainless PTFE lined Uniball bearings are utilized in place of the factory ball joints upper control arms and allow for increased travel without bind. These Fabtech Bronco upper control arms are designed for longevity in rugged offroad conditions while providing a more positive on road feel.
All Fabtech upper control arms have been designed to work in conjunction with the Dirt Logic 2.5 Coilover shocks to provide additional front wheel travel.
All Dirt Logics are constructed with a stainless steel body and a NitroSteel piston rod for maximum corrosion resistance in the harshest conditions. These Dirt Logics have been extensively tested and tuned to provide a superior ride quality both on and offroad.
We expect that there will likely be replacement Dirt Logic 2.5 coilovers available for the rear to match the front performance as well. We also expect that they will offer both a standard coilover setup along with a coilover with remote reservoirs for additional performance and shock cooling.
